CHESTERFIELD, Va. – The Chesterfield County police chief is thanking a school resource officer for using his own body to shield a student in a fight involving dozens of students, according to NBC 12 reporting.
The fight happened Thursday afternoon at Meadowbrook High School and led to a heavy police presence due to rumors of weapons being used. Police later confirmed no weapons were used. They also say no one was injured or arrested despite rumors of that as well.
Recommended Videos
In a video circulating around social media, school resource officers could be seen getting hit as students attacked one another in the hallway. Police Chief Col. Jeffery Katz posted a screenshot from the video of the circulating on social media on his profile Friday afternoon.
Many of you have undoubtedly seen the video that’s been making its way around social media of the large fight -...
Posted by Chesterfield County Police Chief, Col. Jeffrey S. Katz on Friday, September 24, 2021
The image is of resource officer Anthony Bowen using his body to shield a young man from a mob of other students attacking him. The officer was struck several times while protecting the student.
“This officer conducted himself bravely, selflessly, and without regard for his own well-being,” said Katz. “That’s how our people are expected to perform and with rare exception, that’s how we conduct business.”
The police chief in his post made a point to not show the video to protect the students’ identities and to not glorify the violence that took place. Instead, he highlighted the importance of police presence in schools to keep children safe within their learning environments.